The NYT's got a dandy writeup of seven tech perks that you should eschew in favor of saved cash: oversized megapixelage, pointlessly fast CPUs, and as our dear Matt Buchanan hits, unneeded TV screen size. But how do you skimp?

I agree strongly (like Godzilla squeeze-grip strongly) about CPUs—clock speed stopped mattering a long time ago. And when picking out home theater gear, I try to think longterm—is ponying up extra for a 7.1 channel receiver worth it? Well, will I ever own a 7.1 channel sound system? No. Not in this closet of an apartment I call home. Making the call between future-proofing and frivolousness is important! Foresight like this (and doing your homework) can land you the top tech without wasting dough.